Comprehension Process

In chapter 8 of Tompkins it talked about facilitating student's comprehension. It listed a few strategies: activating background knowledge, connecting, determining importance, drawing inferences, evaluating, monitoring, predicting, questioning, repairing, setting a purpose, summarizing, and, visualizing. One of the strategies I find to be the most helpful for myself and for students is activating background knowledge. Students often bring what they know to what they are learning. If they are able to relate something to something they have already learned or done then there is more likely to be a connection. The chapter states "the more background knowledge and prior experiences readers have about a topic, the more likely they are to successfully comprehend what they're reading. This will help students fill in the gaps of what they are missing. Making connections also helps students see how how subjects in school can relate to things of their interest.

-Jen